Conventional cooking in a microwave oven of greasy foods, such as bacon and sausage, presents a problem in the collection and disposal of the grease which is expelled during the cooking process. In addition, some of the expelled grease remains on the surface of the food product, adding to the amounts of sodium and cholesterol in the cooked food. Recent medical evidence warns of the potential health hazards associated with excess sodium, fat, and cholesterol in the diet.
One method for the cooking of greasy food products in a microwave oven is to first place several layers of paper towels or the like in the bottom of the microwave oven or on a plate. The food product, bacon for example, is then placed on top of the paper towels with another layer of paper towels placed on top of the food product to prevent splattering. During the cooking process, the paper towels underneath the food product quickly become saturated with the expelled grease and water, normally resulting in residual grease left in the bottom of the microwave oven, which must be cleaned out at some point. Likewise, the two to three layers of paper towels above the food product quickly become saturated with the grease and water splattering up from the food, leaving any excess grease to pool on the surface of the food. This requires additional blotting of the food product with more paper towels once it is removed from the microwave oven.
Another method of cooking greasy food products in a microwave oven is to place the food on a microwave bacon tray and covering the top surface of the food with several layers of paper towels as was mentioned above. These types of cooking trays have raised grooves to allow the expelled grease to collect in the bottom of the tray. As the grease collects in the bottom of the tray during cooking, additional splattering occurs, adding to the grease remaining on the underneath surface of the food following cooking. In order to remove the additional surface grease, more blotting is required with paper towels after the food has been removed from the microwave oven. Moreover, one now has to deal with the messy problem of disposing of the grease left in the bottom of the cooking tray, as well as the cleaning of the tray. This is an inconvenience most people would rather avoid. Accordingly, there has been a need for an improved procedure for cooking bacon and sausage in a microwave oven.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved cooking assistant for use in cooking bacon or sausage in a microwave oven. Another object is to provide a disposable grease collecting device. Still other objects will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows.